The Fayth's Promise
by Letselina
Summary: Both Tidus' and Yuna's point of view on his return, ten years after Sin's defeat. (The Good Ending did NOT happen in this story.)
1. With Arms Wide Open

**The Fayth's Promise  
**_With Arms Wide Open_

> Tidus ran through the darkness. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he yelled.  
  
Tidus!" a voice, he reconized as the Fayth's, called.  
  
The blitzball player spun to see a soft light emulating from the silouette of the child who had begun his adventure... "What happened...? I was asleep for so long..."  
  
"Ten years have passed since you gave your life to save Spira."  
  
Tidus' jaw dropped. "Ten years?!"  
  
"We weren't strong enough to bring you back til now. We promised Yuna."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Two years after she defeated Sin. She saved Spira, again. But now you two have grown ten years without each other. I don't know..."  
  
The same thought lingered in Tidus' mind. They'd both be twenty seven years old now. Yuna had to of moved on by now. After all, there were plenty of young men who'd be just as perfect for her. _"Maybe she's moved on..."_ he thought solemnly. A tear trickled down his cheek.  
  
"You can return to Besaid," the Fayth spoke his tidings.  
  
**well i just heard  
the news today  
it seems my life  
is gonna change**  
  
Tidus' body trembled. Whether it was because he was nervous or because he was overjoyed, he couldn't tell. All he knew is he'd be able to see Yuna again. To touch the skin he had so longed to touch, to hold her in his arms and never _ever_ let go.  
  
**i close my eyes  
begin to pray  
then tears of joy  
stream down my face  
**  
"Will Yuna be there?"  
  
The Fayth nodded.  
  
Tidus smiled, crying happy tears. He closed his eyes and opened them again. He was in the water. _"What happened...?"_ he wondered. _"Was that a dream?" _He stretched his body, swimming to the top.  
  
**with arms wide open  
under the sunlight  
welcome to this place  
i'll show you everything  
with arms wide open**  
  
Tidus gasped for air, filling his lungs with the pure air of Besaid island. Birds called, children laughed. There seemed to be some sort of picnic on the beach. He swam to a side beach, just to see who was all there.   
  
He reconized Lulu, who wasn't nearly as stern looking as she had been when he last saw her. She was watching Wakka, now quite a bit chubbier, passing a ball to a boy with red hair. In Lulu's lap sat a toddler with long black hair much like her mothers. _"Looks like Wakka's been busy..." _he laughed to himself.  
  
Tidus saw a pretty blonde, cradling an infant. A blonde Al Bhed with a patch over one eye walked over to her. He made out the name "Rikku" and gasped. This didn't look like the childish girl who had saved him when he first came to Spira.  
  
"Hey Yunie!" Rikku called.  
  
**well i don't know  
if i'm ready  
to be the man  
i have to be**  
  
Tidus strained his eyes to see the person who was walking towards Rikku. A long haired brunette laughed. He knew that laugh. But instead of the smile that he would have expected to play across his face, his heart dropped.  
  
Yuna was carrying a small child on her hip. With brown hair, just like hers.   
  
_"She forgot about me... she found someone else..."  
  
_Tidus nearly started crying. A platinum haired man jogged to Yuna and kissed her on the cheek. "_I can't believe it..."_ but he knew he did. Ten years was a long time.   
  
He sat down, the sun drying out his hair. He would go over there. He just hoped he wouldn't cause too much of a ruckus. _"I hope you still remember me..."_ he thought.  
  
Tidus walked in the water, walking to the beach. Obviously the picnic was wearing down. The sun was setting, children were whiny and cried. He watched Yuna carefully.  
  
Yuna bounced the child on her hip. "Come on Lily," she cooed. "Mommy has a suprise for you back in the village."  
  
"Yuna!" the platinum haired man called. "Are you going to drop Lily off?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay Baralai? Calli says she managed to catch a C-H-O-C-O-B-O for the kids to play on while we go out tonight," Yuna said, smiling.  
  
_"Calli...?"_ Tidus wondered. He tried to reach into those memories but he couldn't remember why he reconized the name. He decided to follow Yuna. When she would be on the way back, he could talk to her. Alone.  
  
**if i had just one wish  
only one demand  
i hope he's not like me  
i hope he understands  
  
**The small girl cooed and giggled as Yuna told her stories about chocobos. "I wanna see a chocobo!" Lily laughed.  
  
"Well maybe you will someday," Yuna smiled, a mischievious look in her eyes.  
  
Tidus didn't go inside the village. He waited until Yuna was gone far enough so she wouldn't see him then sat down on a rock by an old shrine. _"She's great with kids."_ He looked up as he heard two voices. He knew them as Lulu and Rikku.  
  
He scrambled to hide behind a large boulder until they left. Then came Yuna.  
  
She stopped at the shrine, almost unconsciously. "Ten years... and his image still haunts my memories."  
  
"Can they... not be memories anymore?" Tidus asked, still behind the rock.  
  
"Who's there?!" Yuna yelled, pulling out a small dagger. He sapphire-emerald eyes burned with emotion. Her trademark earring swayed back and forth.  
  
"You might not believe me," Tidus said, standing up.  
  
The dagger dropped from Yuna's hand, her eyes wide, and her breathing stopped. "I-it..." she stuttered. "Is it... you?"  
  
Tidus nodded. "I'm sorry."  
  
Yuna ran to him, throwing out her arms in an embrace. She squeezed him tightly. "I knew... someday you'd come back."  
  
Tears crawled down his cheek. He pulled away from her embrace, his hands resting on her shoulders. He took one hand and gently ran it across her face. Crystal tears dripped from her eyes. "Yuna..."  
  
"I knew you'd come back," she repeated.  
  
"But... Baralai," he said.  
  
She cocked her head to one side, "What about him?"  
  
"And Lily?"  
  
"What about them?" she wondered.  
  
"They are your family."  
  
Yuna began to laugh. "You think they are my family? Like my husband and child?" she giggled uncontrollably.  
  
_"I don't get it..."_ "But that guy kissed you and you were always carrying the kid around and you said 'Mommy has a surprise' to her!"  
  
"What have you been stalking me or something?" Yuna demanded. "Baralai is a friend. He kissed me on the cheek because I had gotten hit there by one of Vidina's flying blitzballs. He was just playing around. And Lily isn't my kid. Lily is Calli's daughter."  
  
_"Calli. The little girl on the Mi'hen Highroad... She had brown hair too.."_ Tidus felt stupid now. But he was with Yuna. "Oh. Sorry."  
  
Yuna shook her head, her eyes pooled with tears. "It's okay," she smiled. "I have you back. I'll be okay."  
  
Tidus smiled softly. How silly could he have been to think Yuna would have forgotten him.  
  
"Tidus..." she whispered. Even though she had gotten taller, she still had to raise her calves to reach his face.   
  
Tidus was actually slightly suprised when Yuna kissed him. But he quickly recovered, slipping his arms around her waist and kissing her back.   
  
When the pulled apart, they both smiled. He remembered the first time they had kissed... ten years ago.  
  
"YUNA!" yelled a young woman. A woman with silverish-black hair marched up to her friend.  
  
"Oh... Hi Paine," Yuna said, blushing like crazy.  
  
"What are you doing?!" she demanded.  
  
"This is..."  
  
Tidus blushed too. And he didn't even know this Paine. _"One of Yuna's new friends."  
_  
"This is Tidus," Yuna said.  
  
Paine smiled, "See!" she said, punching Yuna in the arm. "I told you he'd come back. Just like Shuyin and Lenne."  
  
Tidus looked at the friend of Yuna's totally confused. "What...?"  
  
"Ten years is a looooooong time," Yuna laughed.  
  
"Ten years without you was like hundreds of years with..." he paused thinking of a word, "like hundreds of years with Seymour."   
  
He gasped, wagging a finger teasingly. "Kissing other guys when you are widowed. What kind of person are you?" he chuckled.  
  
Yuna's jaw dropped. "WHY YOU!!"  
  
Tidus began to run away from Yuna, she chased him and tackled him to the ground. "Hey!" he cried.  
  
Yuna kissed him again. "I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too," Tidus said. They went back to the beach. The adults were having a party to celebrate exactly ten years of Yuna's Eternal Calm.   
  
**with arms wide open  
under the sunlight  
welcome to this place  
i'll show you everything  
with arms wide open**  
  
And he knew he would always be accepted, with arms wide open.

* * *

  
  
_A/N: I love this song and I couldn't help but write a songfic for it. Of course, I could never EVER make Yuna fall in love with someone else and leave Tidus to drown in his sorrow. It'd be too heartbreaking, even for me.   
So do you guys like it? I also added Higher, a songfic from Yuna's POV. _


	2. Higher

**The Fayth's Promise  
**_Higher_

> A little girl cried, "Yuna!"  
  
"I'm not doing anything!" yelled a young boy.  
  
Yuna opened her eyes. She yawned sitting up. "Vidina, leave Lily alone..."  
  
**When dreaming I'm guided through another world   
Time and time again   
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep   
'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place**  
  
"Lily! Leave Yuna alone!" called a young mother. A pretty brunette walked into Yuna's room. "Sorry Yuna. I let my guard down for a minute and the two of them disappeared!"  
  
"It's okay Calli. I shouldn't have slept so late anyways," Yuna smiled. She pushed back her longer than shoulder length hair from her eyes. [i]"Ten years today since I defeated Sin. Ten years since Tidus..."[/i] her thoughts stopped. She didn't want to seem sad. It was a happy day. There was going to be a picnic with the kids then after they went to bed, the adults would have a party.  
  
She looked at Lily, a little girl with long brunette hair like her mother, Calli. Lily was barely two years old. Calli and Clasko had nearly gotten married. They had been dating for a year or two and when Clasko found out that Calli had gotten pregnut... well they stopped talking for a while. So Yuna helped Calli take care of Lily a lot.  
  
Her vision wandered to a red-head boy who was almost eight years old. Vidina, Lulu and Wakka's first child, was just like his father.   
  
"Vidina!" Lulu called. The former black mage walked into Yuna's room. She held the hand of a small girl who was a little more than a year old. She had black hair and plenty of her mother's traits. "Sorry Yuna," she looked at her son. "Vidina, your father needs your help. Come on." Lulu took her children from Yuna's room.  
  
Yuna smiled. She helped everyone bring all the food to the beach.  
  
"Hey Yunie!" a familiar voice yelled. A big blue airship was parked   
  
**'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape   
From the life I live when I'm awake**  
  
Yuna turned around. Dressed in a canary yellow tee shirt and denim shorts was her cousin Rikku. Rikku had gained a little weight since she had last seen her over a year ago.  
  
But what _really_ surprised Yuna was the infant that was cradling in her arms. "RIKKU! YOUR A MOMMY!" she exclaimed.  
  
Rikku smiled brightly. "And that makes you an auntie!"  
  
Gippal walked off the airship, grinning. "Nice to see yah Yuna!"  
  
Yuna punched him in the arm. "I'd punch you too Rikku but I don't wanna hurt the baby. I can't believe you didn't tell me you were pregnut!"  
  
"Well..." Rikku bit on her lower lip. "I was sort of afraid you'd be mad. After all, I'm two years younger than you and you still haven't even _looked_ at any guys since... well the reason we're celebrating here today."  
  
Yuna's smile dimmed a bit. "I know..."  
  
"Hey Yuna!" called Lily. Yuna had decided to watch her. Calli really needed a break. She was going to visit Clasko.  
  
Yuna picked up the the toddler. "Hey Lily!"  
  
"That's Calli and Clasko's daughter right? Where is Calli?" asked Rikku.  
  
"Mommy went to go see Daddy. She says that Daddy doesn't want to see me..." Lily said. Tears formed in her eyes.  
  
"That's not true Lily," Yuna comforted. "Daddy's just a little insecure. He'll come visit soon. Don't worry."  
  
"Okay. Yuna, can I ride a chocobo?"  
  
"There's no chocobos in Besaid. Sorry. Maybe we'll go to the Calm Lands and ride one. Your Daddy knows all about them."  
  
"Yay!" Lily cried happily. She gave Yuna a big kiss on the cheek and ran off to play with the other children.   
  
Yuna smiled brightly. "She's a sweetie. So who's this little one?" Yuna said, looking at Rikku's child.  
  
"His name is Ashton," Gippal replied, taking the baby from Rikku's arms.  
  
**Can you take me higher?   
To the place where blind men see   
Can you take me higher?   
To the place with golden streets**  
  
Yuna smiled. "Well I gotta go help. Stick around. Tonight we can get together. Calli and a few others are going to babysit."  
  
Rikku and Gippal nodded, following Yuna into the party.  
  
Yuna played with the kids, mostly in the water. They finally got out to play with a blitzball when another unexpected visitor stopped by.  
  
A young woman with cropped silverish black hair surprised everyone. "Hey Yuna!" she called.  
  
Yuna stepped back. It took her a moment to recognize her. "Paine...?" she said in awe. She hadn't seen her friend in over three years.   
  
"You've changed a bit too!" Paine laughed, tugging on Yuna's long hair.   
  
"Wow Paine! I'm so glad you could come!" Yuna grinned, hugging her friend. "Go see Rikku!"  
  
"Why? I already heard that she and Gippal and married. Surprise suprise..."  
  
"No. Rikku's a mommy!"  
  
Paine's jaw dropped. She ran into the small crowd to find her old sphere hunting friend.  
  
"Rikku a mother?" said a silver haired man. "Interesting..."  
  
Yuna turned around. "Well hi there Baralai!" she laughed. _"Everyone's showing up... well almost everyone..."_  
  
**Although I would like our world to change   
It helps me to appreciate   
Those nights and those dreams**  
  
"LOOK OUT!" cried Vidina.  
  
Yuna turned her head to get whacked with a flying blitzball. "OWWWW!" Yuna yelled. Her hands flew to her cheek. "Careful!" she scolded.  
  
"Sorry Yuna..." Vidina said. He grabbed the ball and ran back to Wakka.  
  
"You okay?" Wakka called.  
  
Yuna nodded, "I'll be all right!"  
  
"Hey Yuna!" Rikku ran over to her cousin, Ashton in her arms. "You should watch out for those."  
  
"Gee thanks Rikku. I'll keep that in mind," she said sarcastically.  
  
Baralai walked over. "Sin- no problem! Vegnagun- easy as pie! But a blitzball- beats up the poor Yuna!" he teased.  
  
Yuna scoffed. "You wanna take a hit?" she laughed.  
  
Baralai planted a wet kiss on her cheek. "Nah that's okay!"  
  
"Eww!" she cried, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. "Baralai germs!" she giggled like a kid.  
  
The rest of the day was just fun. The sun was beginning to set. The kids were getting a bit whiny.   
  
"Come on Lily," Yuna said. She picked up the crying toddler. "Mommy has a surprise for you back in the village."  
  
"Yuna!" Baralai called. "Are you going to drop Lily off?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay Baralai? Calli says she managed to catch a C-H-O-C-O-B-O for the kids to play on while we go out tonight," Yuna said, smiling.  
  
She began to carry Lily to the village.  
  
The small girl cooed and giggled as Yuna told her stories about chocobos. "I wanna see a chocobo!" Lily laughed.  
  
"Well maybe you will someday," Yuna smiled, a mischievous look in her eyes. She carried Yuna into the house where Calli lived.   
  
"Mommy!" Lily shouted, running to her mother. She stopped suddenly and gasped. There in the room was a big yellow bird. "A CHOCOBO!" she cried.  
  
Yuna laughed waving to Calli. She walked back up the hill and stopped at the shrine. Here people used to stop to pray for guidance on a journey. _"We stopped here,"_ she thought to herself.  
  
"Ten years... and his image still haunts my memories..." she said softly.   
  
"Can they... not be memories anymore?" she heard someone speak  
  
"Who's there?!" Yuna yelled, pulling out a small dagger. Her eyes searched the area for who had dared to listen into her thoughts.   
  
"You might not believe me," said a young man. He stood up, his hands in the air. His blonde hair waved in the wind. She knew it was him. Tidus.  
  
**So let's go there   
Let's make our escape   
Come on, let's go there   
Let's ask can we stay**?  
  
Yuna dropped the dagger. _"Oh gods... It's him..." _Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. "It... is it really you?"  
  
Tidus nodded. "I'm sorry."  
  
Yuna ran to him and threw her arms around his shoulders in an embrace. She held him tightly, and never wanted him to go again. "I knew... someday you'd come back."  
  
He pulled away from her embrace, his hands resting on her shoulders. He took one hand and gently ran it across her face.   
  
How she had longed for his touch, for the feeling she felt when she was with him... Tears freed themselves from her eyes and fell down her cheek. _"Thank you..."_ she thought to the Fayth.  
  
"Yuna..." he said. She noticed he, too, was crying.  
  
"I knew you'd come back," she repeated.  
  
"But... Baralai," he said.  
  
She cocked her head to one side, confused, "What about him?"  
  
"And Lily?"  
  
"What about them?" she wondered. _"How long has he been around?"_  
  
"They are your family."  
  
Yuna began to laugh. "You think they are my family? Like my husband and child?" she giggled uncontrollably.  
  
"But that guy kissed you and you were always carrying the kid around and you said 'Mommy has a surprise' to her!" Tidus argued.  
  
"What have you been stalking me or something?" Yuna demanded. "Baralai is a friend. He kissed me on the cheek because I had gotten hit there by one of Vidina's flying blitzballs. He was just playing around. And Lily isn't my kid. Lily is Calli's daughter."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
Yuna shook her head. _"It'll always be okay. As long as you are with me."_ "It's okay," she smiled. "I have you back. I'll be okay." A slight blush played across her face. "Tidus..." she whispered. Even though she had gotten taller, she still had to raise her calves to reach his face. She pressed her lips against his, and memories of the time they kissed in Lake Macalania sprang to mind.  
  
Yuna felt Tidus' arms around her waist as their kiss deepened. After a moment they parted. She smiled.  
  
"YUNA!" screamed Paine.  
  
"Oh... uh hi Paine," Yuna said, feeling her face turn bright red.  
  
"What are you doing?!" she demanded.  
  
"This is Tidus," Yuna replied. _"Right. Paine wasn't around ten years ago."_  
  
Paine smiled, "See!" she said, punching Yuna in the arm. "I told you he'd come back. Just like Shuyin and Lenne."  
  
_"Except we only had ten years of wait. Not a thousand."_  
  
Tidus looked at Paine. "What...?"  
  
"Ten years is a long time," Yuna laughed.  
  
"Ten years without you was like hundreds of years with..." he paused thinking of a word, "like hundreds of years with Seymour."   
  
He gasped, wagging a finger teasingly. "Kissing other guys when you are widowed. What kind of person are you?" he chuckled.  
  
_"How could he say something like that?!"_ Yuna thought, her jaw falling. "WHY YOU!" she chased him around in a circle. Finally she caught him, knocking him down to the ground. She kissed him again. "I missed you." _"Terribly."_  
  
"I missed you too," Tidus said.  
  
Together, they went to the party. They had a great time. And Yuna just felt... happy.  
  
**Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time   
Up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams   
And make them mine**  
  
When she was with Tidus she felt... higher.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _A/N: This is Yuna's point-of-view. It's related to my other songfic "With Arms Wide Open." I thought this song, "Higher" by Creed, fit perfectly because it's talking about wanting to stay in this dream world where everything is perfect. And it just... fit. Heh. Anyone like this one? And does anyone know what you do with an airship? I just guessed you park it... like a car... _


End file.
